April 24, 1998
Contact: Beth Fox
(615) 343-3210
| |
April 24, 1998 Contact: Beth Fox (615) 343-3210 |
NASHVILLE, Tenn. --Friends and family members who cannot attend Vanderbilt University's Commencement ceremony will still be able to share in the pomp and circumstance - in cyberspace.
Vanderbilt will cybercast its May 8 Commencement for the first time ever this year. Although a few universities are expected to do the same, Vanderbilt may be the only one using internal resources: a student group will be producing the entire event.
The Student and Native American Partnerships (SNAP), a student-run service group, will bring together the audio, video and text of the Commencement. Nearly everyone involved in the technical aspects of the event is a student, with the exception of the cameraman.
"We could have hired an outside vendor to produce this for us, but we have faith in our students," said Michael Schoenfeld, vice chancellofor media relations, whose office is sponsoring the cybercast. "In fact, SNAP has more experience with these kinds of events than many commercial producers."
SNAP was formed in 1996 by Vanderbilt University College of Arts and Science senior Jason Dinger. With support from the Educate the Children Foundation and Chief Walking Shield of the American Indian Society, SNAP introduces information age technology to underserved populations. The SNAP team members have traveled to schools around the country, using educational computer programs SNAP designed to increase communication between people of different cultures.
SNAP team leader Dinger will not only be heading the cybercast production, but he'll be participating, too - Dinger is one of the more than 2,300 graduates expected to attend the ceremony.
All that is needed to view the Commencement is a computer, a modem and a Web browser; no special software will need to be downloaded. The event will be archived, allowing people to view it for years to come. There will also be an option to view and pause portions of the cybercast to print out photos.
A camera will be focused on the stage and there will be a running text box below the visuals for the hearing impaired.
The cybercast will capture the entire Commencement ceremony - from Chancellor Joe B. Wyatt's conferring of all the degrees and awarding the Founder's Medals to the undergraduate students' accepting their diplomas. Graduate and graduate-professional degrees will be given out in separate ceremonies in locations across campus later in the day. Those ceremonies will not be cybercast.
"We wanted to provide an opportunity for relatives and friends to join in the celebration," Schoenfeld said. "Graduation is a special day for the students and the University, and thanks to the Internet, we can share it with the world."
"I feel like it's a really extraordinary time to be graduating from Vanderbilt because so many changes have taken place," said graduating senior Sarah Catherine Davis. "This is just one example of how Vanderbilt is moving into the future."
Billy Kingsley, coordinator of visual imaging and online services for media relations, will be working behind the scenes with SNAP to ensure the event runs smoothly. Academic Computing and Information Services (ACIS) will provide the network connections and direct access to the Internet.
"I'm excited about incorporating our students' knowledge and abilities in our efforts to explore the new technology available to us," Kingsley said. "Being able to present an event as significant and memorable as Commencement to family and friends around the world is an honor as well as a challenge."
The Commencement cybercast can be found at http://www.vanderbilt.edu/commencement. The site will be updated continuously during that day with still photos as well. The 1998 Vanderbilt University Commencement will be held on Alumni Lawn from 9 to 11:30 a.m. on May 8. In case of rain, it will be held in Memorial Gymnasium. The cybercast will proceed as planned if it rains.
Vanderbilt University is a private research university of approximately
5,900 undergraduates and 4,300 graduate and professional students. Founded
in 1873, the University comprises 10 schools, a public policy institute,
a distinguished medical center and The Freedom Forum First Amendment Center.
Vanderbilt offers undergraduate programs in the liberal arts and sciences,
education and human development, engineering and music, and a full range
of graduate and professional degrees.
For more news about Vanderbilt, visit the News and Public Affairs home page
on the Internet at http://www.vanderbilt.edu/News.